Siding, Roofing, Windows & Decks in New Gloucester, Maine

Census estimates put New Gloucester at about 2,260 housing units with a median year built of 1991. About 11 percent of homes predate 1940 and roughly one in five predates 1960, but the largest share, about 31 percent, has been built in 2000 or later. Only about 15 percent date from 1960 to 1979, a much thinner mid-century layer than in neighboring Gray. Around 70 percent of units are single-family detached houses, and about 83 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied. Seasonal homes are rare, about two dozen by the survey's count, so nearly every house here is lived in year-round. The oldest houses are notable: the village holds many wood-frame houses built before 1810 in Georgian and Federal styles, and Intervale Farm's circa-1811 brick farmhouse is joined to its barn by a string of wood-frame additions.

New Gloucester is inland farm country, with the town center at roughly 364 feet and no salt exposure. The nearest long-term record is next door: NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for the Gray station list about 84 inches of snow a year, and January there averages near 22 degrees. The town's own code enforcement handout gives the figures it builds to, a total snow load of 70 pounds per square foot and a 100 mph wind speed. Open fields along the Intervale and around the farms let wind drive snow and rain against the long walls of connected farmhouses, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles work into any joint that holds water.

The town has three villages: New Gloucester, Upper Gloucester and Shaker Village. The New Gloucester Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1974, strings Georgian and Federal houses along Route 231 where it meets Gloucester Hill and Cobbs Bridge roads, with a 1782 tavern, a replica of the 1753 blockhouse, the 1838 Greek Revival Congregational Church and an 1890 village store. Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, a National Historic Landmark, is the last active Shaker community, with a 1794 meetinghouse on about 1,800 acres. In the east, Pineland Farms covers some 5,000 acres of fields and former state institution grounds.

New Gloucester's Code Enforcement Officer, who also serves as plumbing inspector and health officer, issues building permits. Under Article 6.1.1 of the zoning ordinance, no structure may be erected, moved, added to or structurally altered without one. The office's handout says regular maintenance such as roofing, siding and window replacement needs no permit when it does not alter the structure. Decks do: the permit checklist asks for a foundation plan, framing cross sections and a signed plot plan with setbacks. The town's FAQ notes that work within 100 feet of a water body may need Maine DEP approval.

Each page below covers one job in New Gloucester: what the town's houses and weather mean for it, what the work involves, and what moves the price. For the full picture of a trade, see our siding, window replacement, roofing and deck building pages.